Hi Chrissy,
I have only had two eye exams that I can recall. One was in 5th grade, and I thought it was The Coolest Experience Ever, mostly because I got to sit in the dark and show off that I had perfect vision! The second one was when I was 21 (6 years ago) and I was not impressed with the doctor, who dilated my eyes and never told me to bring sunglasses or anything like that. I had class afterwards, which was NOT pleasant 😉 I definitely felt like he rushed the appointment, and I haven't seen an eye doc since (blush.) I did not discover I was interested in Optometry until after working as a web designer for 5 years out of college. That career sucked the life out of me for many reasons, and I decided to find a career that matched a specific set of criteria I wanted (human interaction, high quality of life, financial stability, flexibility, etc) and turned to the internet to help me find the right match. I stumbled on Optometry and have been fascinated ever since.... Perhaps I would have considered it earlier if my experience with the more recent doc was positive, but honestly, I was so focused on making a living from my right-brain and my art, I didnt' really consider science careers much after freshman year of college. Now I am just doing the Opt pre-reqs at a community college.
I do not wear glasses or contacts, and I have never regularly seen an eye doctor. I am due for an exam, though, and I plan to go as soon as I move in with my boyfriend, who has vision insurance. I'd like to see a private practice doc at a place where the OD does the entire process of the screening, if possible, but I don't know if I will find that type covered on the vision plan. Since it's been so long since I had an appointment, I'd like to have a lot of time in the office, so I can't pay a premium price out of pocket on a student budget. Because of my lack of respect I've shown my own eyes, I realize I have a LOT of shadowing to do in the next 2 years before I apply! I must say, after observing doctors, I do see the need for at least semi-yearly checkups (whatever every 2 years is...I think that's semi-yearly hehe!) Most patients at one office had been there the prior year, and they almost all needed new prescriptions. Granted, they were all above 50 years old...
I hope this helps! 😀
